Review: The Art of Travel (2008)

THE ART OF TRAVEL
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): **

It's too bad that there isn't a documentary about the making of THE ART OF
TRAVEL since that would undoubtedly make for an interesting movie, something
THE ART OF TRAVEL itself never quite achieves. Filmed on location in very
harsh jungle environments, THE ART OF TRAVEL follows Conner "Road Kill"
Layne (Christopher Masterson from "Malcolm in the Middle") from his wedding
to his trip through the Latin American jungle as he attempts to find
himself.

Brooke Burns ("Baywatch") and Johnny Messner ("Killer Instinct") play
Darlene and Christopher Loren, a married couple who have organized what
would appear to be a near impossible expedition to cross the infamous Darien
Gap. Since their team is one man short, they invite Conner to join them
after meeting him in a Panamanian bar.

Although I never believed that anyone would actually try to get through the
thick jungle mountains with a jeep by cutting out a road with machetes, I
could easily suspend disbelief on this logical gap. And, since the journey
took almost a year, how did they carry enough gas? But I digress.

The problem with the narrative is not its believability, since it feels
genuine so long as you don't think too much about it. What I found wrong
was that it never added up to much of anything, and the characters were not
particularly interesting. About the only time the insubstantial story works
is when it goes for the humor. Although not particularly funny, the film
does have a few nice moments.

But, since everyone on the expedition prides themselves on being able to
play practical jokes on each other, I was hoping that the film too would
surprise us more. I guessed -- wrongly -- that when the title card said
"Day 309," Darlene and Christopher would confess to Conner that they had
been going in circles the whole time and were very close to where they
started, but no such luck.

The film felt the need to tack on a feel-good ending that has Christopher
going on another trip after his journey to the Darien Gap was over. This
time it was a simple vacation and not a challenge, but I'm still not sure
what the point of including it was. Masterson was fine in his underwritten
leading role, but I can't think of much else to say about the film. It was
at best okay but instantly forgettable.

THE ART OF TRAVEL runs 1:40.

The film is being shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival
(www.Cinequest.org), which runs February 27-March 9, 2008.

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